Relocate Amiga keys

I have noticed that at some point that Ctrl-Alt-Alt will now reset my Sam440 machines as well as Ctrl-Amiga-Amiga (I'll call those keys nothing else!).

And the Alt keys are right next to the spacebar, where the Amiga keys are situated on an authentic Amiga keyboard. So if I could remaps the Amiga keys to be where the Alt keys are (next to the space bar) for things other than system reset, I could have a "proper" Amiga keyboard.

Is there a utility or some setting for this?

Not exactly a software fix, but you can get "Amiga" keys in the right location using this:
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MB110LB/B

MMkeyboard http://aminet.net/driver/input/mmkeyboard.lha has an option to swap those keys over.

Doesn't UBoot have a function to do that ?

Thanks. I will try out mmkeyboard tonight. Not sure of a uboot option but will investigate. My keyboard of choice (even on my Mac) is the Das Keyboard, and I now own four of them.

Have a look in SYS:Documentation/keyboard.doc - that has all relevant U-Boot and env-vars. I did hear a mutter of an option to swap Amiga+Alt keys, if it truely exists it will be in there.

But I'd definitely agree with ChrisH - use an Apple keyboard. Some of the keys are still in the "wrong" place, but overall it's a much nicer typing experience and more Amiga-ish than usual PC keyboards - and no Windows logos either (instead there is a half-eaten piece of fruit on my Amiga keys, not sure what that is about )

Happy to report that, with the new version, a couple of lines typed in at the Uboot prompt does swap the alt and Amiga keys. Sollie told me what to type during last night's Ashachat, and now I have two Sam440s with "proper" Amiga-style keyboard layouts.

I do have a couple of those Apple keyboards with the calculator-style keys but I don't like them. They came with my Macs.

I'm using Das Keyboards where I can, and Das sent me blank keycaps to use in place of the Windows keys. Those are my "Amiga" keys, now in the right places.

I'll reply from home later with the correct lines to type at the Uboot prompt.

@mbrantley
Did you have to do something like set keymap_swapaltamiga to "on" in your firmware?

Yep, that's exactly it, Chris. I'm a happy camper.

@mbrantley

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Ctrl-Alt-Alt makes a cold reboot while Ctrl-Amiga-Amiga makes a warm reboot. It has always been like this on OS4.

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Guess I just never noticed. Good to know now, and I am exceedingly happy to be able to swap the modifier keys.

@Chris

There are no " rotten pieces of fruit" on Apple keyboards since 2007, the Apple logo was removed from the keycap, so they look nicely generic now.

I had to plug a different keyboard to my X1000, and I'm having some difficulties swapping the Alt and Amiga keys.
Does anybody know on which machines the variable keymap_swapaltamiga is supposed to work?

On my AmigaOne-X1000 with CFE it does not, apparently. Unless I'm doing something wrong.
On my AmigaOne-XE it did not IIRC. I used the U-Boot key code remapping wich only worked for PS/2 keyboards

I had not tested it it on the X5000.

Once AmigaOS is booted, NVGetVar gives me the value

keymap_swapaltamiga=on

the same value is shown when I use printenv from the CFE console.
It makes no difference to the fully booted AmigaOS if the variable is set to ON, On, 1, Off, OFF, 0 or is deleted completely.

I did reset (reboot) the AmigaOne after each change.

I know I can swap the keys in sys:/prefs/Input, but when starting without startup-sequence the keys are still not swapped.

I don't think CFE supports the key swapping like UBoot does.

Simon

One more reason to get a CFE update

@Rigo
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That is what I was thinking too, since in the meantime I plugged in 4 other keyboards without any success in swapping the keys..
The official A-EON KX1000-1 keyboard does not want to cooperate either.

In the official AmigaOne X1000 Firmware and Booting Guide (CFE) however, the CFE> setenv -p keymap_swapaltamiga "off variable is mentioned on page 12.

@Raziel

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I do agree!

@Rigo

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It used to. At some point the keymap_swapaltamiga boot variable was removed and the key swapping done after OS4 has loaded in Input Prefs. Why is anyone's guess and IMHO a bad idea.

The key caps are physically swapped on the keyboard and are a hardware issue not an OS issue so should be set by CFE as they used to be.

Only after the OS has loaded can you use the keys next to the space bars as Amiga keys which leads to problems with the eraly startup menu which still thinks they are ALT keys so I often endup doing a hard reboot instead of a soft one. Same if you are using Linux, despite having phyically swapped the key caps the ones next to the space bar are treated as ALT not Amiga keys, which when you are used to getting what it says on the key you pressed rather inconvenient.

For consistancy it is best the swap done in CFE and the OS Input option to swap keys removed. Then they will always be swapped and not just after OS4 has loaded.

There are no doubt other reasons the newest CFE has to be used or I would go back to ther earler one when the keymap_swapaltamiga worked properly.


Bill.

@Amigo1

Just a silly idea, but things have changed since I last posted in this thread...


Open Input prefs and toggle the "swap alt/amiga keys" option.

Simples

@Severin

> Open Input prefs and toggle the "swap alt/amiga keys" option.

Not really good enough. This only functions AFTER OS4 has been loaded. The keys are still swapped physically if you are running Linux or in the erly startup menu.

The number of times I have done a hard reboot from the ESM when I meant to do a soft reboot is far too many - especially with the S L O W initialisation at the beginning od a hrd boot. Definitely NOT a mistake that you want to do.

This really need to be done for the machine and not after an OS has loaded.

If the keys are swapped they remain swapped you do not prise them off and refit them when using the early start menu or Linux !

This needs to be (once again) in the CFE.

@Severin

Urgh, and here i was trying to figure out why my new keyboard acted strange with ALT and Amiga...now i know, thank you